Team Nogueira’s Rony
Mariano Bezerra stopped Sam Sicilia
with a volley of second-round hammerfists at UFC
153 “Silva vs. Bonnar” on Saturday at the HSBC Arena in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. The end came 4:16 into round two, as Bezerra
(12-3, 2-0 UFC) posted his seventh win in a row.

Bezerra nearly finished it in the first round, when he staggered
the Washingtonian with a searing left hook. Sicilia somehow
gathered himself after the blow, delivered a takedown and pelted
the Brazilian with some nice ground-and-pound.

In the second, Bezerra cracked Sicilia (11-2, 1-1 UFC) with a
beautiful knee strike from the clinch, took down “The Ultimate
Fighter” Season 15 alum off a caught kick and closed the curtain
with hammerfists.

ATT’s Tibau Outlasts Trinaldo

American Top Team’s Gleison
Tibau weathered a harrowing encounter with a Francisco
Trinaldo overhand left, bullied “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil”
Season 1 alum with takedowns and rode a strong third round to a
unanimous decision in an undercard bout at 155 pounds. All three
cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Tibau (26-8, 11-6 UFC).

Tibau controlled the first five and last five minutes of the fight.
In between, Trinaldo (11-2, 1-1 UFC) put a major scare into his
countryman. He delivered a wicked left hand in the second round,
followed his wounded adversary to the canvas and fished for a
rear-naked choke. Tibau powered out of the maneuver, regained his
wits and went about his business.

Tibau put the finishing touches on another victory in the third
round, where he struck for a takedown, moved to full mount and
threatened to submit the former Jungle Fight champion with
rear-naked and arm-triangle chokes. Trinaldo entered the cage on a
five-fight winning streak.

Outside of an armbar attempt in the first round and a triangle
choke in the third, Gambino (9-2, 0-2 UFC) was a non-factor.
Brandao battered him on the feet and on the mat. Gambino somehow
survived two encounters with the Brazilian’s overhand right, the
first one landing with an audible smack inside the first minute of
the second round.

After a rather tepid first 10 minutes, Moraes (6-3, 0-2 UFC) made
his move. The 30-year-old Alliance Jiu-Jitsu representative moved
to his foe’s back during a scramble, locked in a body triangle with
Forte in a standing position and went to work on the choke. After
an extended struggle, he slipped his arm beneath the chin, forced
Forte to collapse to the ground and coaxed the tapout.

Camozzi Outduels Brazilian Cane

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 alum Chris
Camozzi stalked and struck his way to a unanimous decision over
Luiz
Cane in a preliminary middleweight matchup. All three cageside
judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Camozzi (18-5, 5-2 UFC), who
has quietly rattled off three consecutive wins.

Cane’s best chance at victory came and went roughly 90 seconds into
round one, when he trapped the American on the ground, secured his
hooks and threatened with a rear-naked choke. Camozzi kept calm and
escaped to his feet, where his relentless aggression seemed to wear
down the Brazilian. He kept stiff right jabs and left crosses in
Cane’s face, consolidating them with kicks to the legs and
body.

In his first appearance at 185 pounds, Cane (12-5, 4-5 UFC) looked
lethargic and tentative, particularly on the feet. He picked up his
pace in round three, as he tagged Camozzi with a series of straight
left hands. However, the 25-year-old Californian weathered the
blows and left it to the judges, who handed Cane his fourth defeat
in five fights.

Marcello Snaps Madadi Streak

Pride Fighting Championships veteran Cristiano
Marcello won for the seventh time in nine outings, as he
captured a split verdict from Reza Madadi
in a bloody undercard battle at 155 pounds. Two of the three
cageside judges scored it for Marcello by 29-28 and 30-27 counts; a
third cast a dissenting 29-28 ruling in favor of Madadi (12-3, 1-1
UFC).

The 34-year-old Marcello (13-4, 1-1 UFC) mixed knees, punches and
kicks effectively, opening multiple facial cuts on his opponent.
His left hook to the body was a particularly effective weapon.
Still, Madadi had his moments. The Iranian-born Swede struck for
multiple takedowns, avoided Marcello’s vaunted submission game and
had “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 alum hurt on more than one
occasion with right uppercuts and left hooks.